Costa Rica

Yesterday was a long day in Costa Rica which is a very beautiful country with lots of flowers, birds, agricultural products and scenery. We left the ship and started on a two hour bus ride in the countryside. Saw many fruit stands along the road --pickups filled with melons. After an hour we stopped at a store with a gorgeous garden and many souveniers. Behind the store was a butterfly house with big blue butterflies as big as your hand. Chuck tried to get them to hold still so he could take their picture but they did not cooperate! The guide insisted on calling it a "pee-pee" stop. After another hour we arrived at a village where we saw an iguana in a park and also a beautiful church with stained glass windows and a gold altar. Then we went to a coffee plantation and lunch. We saw all the steps in coffee processing including tasting a fresh coffee cherry with two beans inside. It ended with coffee beans in a bag ready to sell to us. Lastly we toured an orchid garden which also included very colorful tropical birds. Boarded the bus for an hour ride back to the ship and a gorgeous sunset. Today we are at sea.